Wednesday, April 12, 2017

I Love My School Day

If you were on Twitter on Tuesday, did you notice #LoveMySchoolDay? Teachers from across the country tweeted things they loved about their schools all day.

Just a few of mine:

I'm becoming more and more vocal about teachers telling their own stories about the amazing things that happen in classrooms and schools. When we tell our own stories, we control the narrative.

Teachers know what happens when others control the narrative. We hear things like:

teachers are overpaid for only working 9-3;

teachers can't be trusted, they need scripted curriculum;

teachers are the reason for the achievement gap;

teachers are glorified babysitters;

teachers are greedy for expecting their pensions to be there when they retire;

teachers get summers off.

When we control the narrative, we can make sure the word gets out there that:

teachers care deeply about the children they teach;

teachers in underserved communities feed, clothe, and supply their students with daily needs;

teachers work all year round, even if we're not in our classrooms;

teachers take their work home with them - not just the physical papers and books, but also the worries and joys that occupy our minds;

teachers want to do a good job, and we're willing to work hard to do it;

teachers are professionals who keep up with the latest research on best practice.

The need to control the narrative is part of the reason why I write in this space, even though few people read what I write. I am telling MY story; I'm putting the good things that are happening in my classroom out in the world. I'll keep chipping away here and on Twitter and on Facebook, making sure I do my part to counter the negatives that so many people insist on clinging to.